Pelikan Jazz Fountain Pen

[Nhartist40]

I did my first really negative review of a fountain pen just in time for April Fools, but I am not fooling! The inexpensive Pelikan Jazz, looks great but it is the most uncomfortable pen I have ever used. It has a very slippery metal section. It is very long, but very thin. The nib is actually pretty nice, but I found it painful to write with the pen for more than 30 seconds. The only way I could actually bare it was to put some electrical tape around the section so my fat hands wouldn't slip. This is sad, because Pelikan makes my favorite pen: the M800, but it is too expensive to use everyday or take to work. I hoped they might make a pen that I could use and not worry about losing.

 

You can see my review here:

 

[Mercian]

There isn’t much that can be done to change the width/girth of the pen’s grip-section, but there are a few things that you could try to do to decrease its slipperiness.

 

One is to wrap one or more small elastic bands around the concave part of the grip-section - if the cap will still fit over them, which your experience with electricians’ tape suggests may be unlikely.

 

Another option is to paint some clear matte varnish/nail polish on the concave area of the grip-section on which one’s fingers rest.

 

A third is to slightly roughen the surface there, either by using a dish-washing ‘scouring’ pad, or a gentle treatment with micro-mesh. There shouldn’t be any need to completely remove it, or score deep lines; only to abrade it slightly.

 

Ultimately though, you may need to conclude that the Jazz is a pen that isn’t suited to you.

I, sadly, have found the same to be true for me on a couple of other pens.
Like you, I have hands that are not ‘dainty’.
Your review of the Jazz is useful to me, as it warns me that the Jazz may not be suitable for me either.

 

One last thing; if you are looking for an inexpensive Pelikan that you might be able to take to work, you could have a look at their ‘Pelikano’.

In its favour, it has a fairly wide grip-section. It takes SICs, a converter, or Pelikan’s GTP5 long ‘International Cartridge’.

Potential downsides are its very-‘school pen’ appearance, and the fact that its clip is only useful as a roll-stop. If you try to use it as a clip it breaks.

I have found mine (previous generation to the current model) to be a reliable pen, but not as-robust as e.g. a Lamy Safari.
Mine has a Pelikan ‘F’ nib on it - which is as wide, and as-wet as the ‘F’ nib on my M805. I.e. more like any other company’s ‘M’ 😉

[Azulado]

For a little more, you have the Pelikan Stola III, with the plastic section. The Jazz Elegance is the only unworthy Pelikan model. The section eventually loses the chrome and becomes coppery. On my unit, the barrel blistered near the chrome ring. It doesn't even write well because of its changing flow. The fountain pen is attractive, but the quality is poor. I suspect they are not made by Pelikan.
In that price range, I think the Herlitz Tornado (Pelikan group) beats it. It has a more formal and classic look than the school-pens or the Twist, but it is plastic, albeit with a metal cap.

 

[B. Honeydew]

I've had one a few months now.  It was a fit for purpose purchase; I needed a pen I could afford to loose due to the nature of the work.

 

Not my favorite, but it is serviceable.  So far, my favorite "I can loose it" is still the disposable Pilots; I just wish they didn't look so disposable.  (Note:  I'm a lefty so FP are hit or miss in the market segment).

[RJS]

As I learnt the hard way- never buy a pen with a chromed or slippery section, and avoid tapering sections and narrow sections, as they'll probably be unpleasant too. I also dislike pens with a big step down from body to section... between those all criteria it really narrows down which pens are worth consideration! 😅

[RJS]

In Germany this thing seems to be priced at €25-30... which puts it up against better designed pens. 

[Azulado]

36 minutes ago, RJS said:

As I learnt the hard way- never buy a pen with a chromed or slippery section, and avoid tapering sections and narrow sections, as they'll probably be unpleasant too. I also dislike pens with a big step down from body to section... between those all criteria it really narrows down which pens are worth consideration!

Without hesitation, I prefer the plastic sections, but the chrome ones are not slippery per se, it depends on how they are made. I recently bought a Kaweco Student and it is functionally like a pen with a plastic section. The Student is one of the most comfortable pens I own. Otherwise, the Pelikan Jazz has all the faults you mention.

[RJS]

1 hour ago, Azulado said:

Without hesitation, I prefer the plastic sections, but the chrome ones are not slippery per se, it depends on how they are made. I recently bought a Kaweco Student and it is functionally like a pen with a plastic section. The Student is one of the most comfortable pens I own. Otherwise, the Pelikan Jazz has all the faults you mention.

Ive not encountered textured chrome, or non-slippery chrome. Is it real chrome on the Kaweco Student? 
 

I'm not entirely against metal. Some are unpleasant as well, but aluminium is very nice to hold.

[Azulado]

2 hours ago, RJS said:

Ive not encountered textured chrome, or non-slippery chrome. Is it real chrome on the Kaweco Student? 
 

I'm not entirely against metal. Some are unpleasant as well, but aluminium is very nice to hold.

According to Jet Pens, the student section is made of chrome-plated brass.
I have three chrome section pens in addition to the Pelikan Jazz. In the photo from left to right are the Hörner Terra, the Hondiang 1843 and the Kaweco Student. I find the Hörner comfortable, it doesn't feel slippery and doesn't make my fingers sweat. The Hondiang sometimes feels hard, the part sticks in my finger. I sweat a bit but it doesn't get slippery. The Kaweco is perfect. I bought it because it's similar to the Kaweco DIA2, a model I already own. At first I was hesitant because of the metal part. Obviously the texture is different to a plastic section, but it feels very comfortable and ergonomic. I find it almost impossible to slip. However, I must point out that my hands do not get very sweaty, even though I live in a warm climate.
The aluminium has the perfect texture for me. I bought the Lamy Aion because it was made of aluminium. I hesitated between this and the Lamy Studio. If I had bought the latter, it would have been with a rubber section. I'm not a fan of chrome parts.

[B. Honeydew]

Update:  Pen is now constantly skipping.  It is probably going in the discard stack soon if I can’t fix it quickly in the next few days.

[thekraitmusic]

I am unable to find a compatible converter for this pen. So annoying and i have two of these pens, both have flow issues

[Azulado]

7 hours ago, thekraitmusic said:

I am unable to find a compatible converter for this pen. So annoying and i have two of these pens, both have flow issues

I don't know where they got it from. It is of poorer quality than the Schmidt. It looks like the mouth is 2.5 mm instead of the standard 2.4 of the Schmidt. It also fits the Jinhao.
Note that the feeder on the Jazz is the same as the one used by many of the Chinese brands. It is a proven reliable feeder. The flow problem is elsewhere. Try using cartridges.
I ended up removing the inner section. You can cut the lip first, then it will come out easy. You can also use acetone. . A #5 Hongdian housing fits nicely in the hole. If you want it to stay in place, put some tape on it and it won't come out. A glue would also work, preferably one that can be easily removed.
This solution is definitive, the Hongdian tips improve a lot the performance of the original Pelikan nibs. Of course, you will need a HD cartridge or a converter of the brand, I think it is 3.6 mm.

Be warned that it is very difficult to remove the feed from the Jazz. The nib is very tight. Maybe that influences the geometry.
I heard that India does not allow Aliexpress to operate. I don't know if it will be easy for you to get Hondiang nibs. The diameter of the housing is 6.4 mm, surely there is another brand you can buy.

 

 

 

[LucasLCC]

On 12/17/2024 at 3:59 AM, thekraitmusic said:

I am unable to find a compatible converter for this pen. So annoying and i have two of these pens, both have flow issues

 

Mine takes a Schmidt K2, but not a K5. The K2 is a tiny bit skinnier.

 

I will also add a +1 to having flow issues however. I think this is the single worst pen I've purchased. At least it was dirt cheap in a sale.

[OCArt]

I agree, I'm a big Pelikan fanboy but this pen was a piece of junk. I'd rather have any $5 Chinese pen than this Pelikan.

2 hours ago, LucasLCC said:

I think this is the single worst pen I've purchased. At least it was dirt cheap in a sale.

 

[Azulado]

Pelikan produces excellent inexpensive plastic pens, such as the Twist or the Pelikano. At some point it must have thought of adding a more formal-looking model with classic lines to its economy range, but realized that it was impossible to manufacture a competitively priced metal model in Europe. So it decided to outsource production to a Chinese OEM. The quality level of Chinese factories is getting higher and higher, but Pelikan chose a company with very low standards. 
As far as I remember, the last European brands that manufactured inexpensive metal pens were Parker (Frontier) and Inoxcrom. The Spanish said in 2010 that they were closing down because it was impossible to compete with the Chinese brands.  
The Jazz uses the feed we see on the Jinhao. It is used by many other brands with success. The nib doesn't look too bad either. I don't know what could go wrong. 

I try to remember and the cheapest European metal pen is the Lamy CP 1. In Spain it costs 35 euros, but outside the EU much more expensive. In Brazil it costs about 90 euros at exchange rate, country where you can find the Pelikan Jazz for less than 20 euros. 

[CalidrisAlba]

I had the same problem with the Pelikan Pura, the metal section is so slippery that it hurts my hand after a few seconds of writing. I used racquet tape and that does help but needs to be replaced every few days and looks ugly. I’ve pretty much given up on the Pura, which is a bit of a shame because it’s a good looking pen and has a nice weight and writes quite nicely too. But having to use tape was just too much of a faff. I might try to rough up the grip section a little bit. 

[RJS]

On 1/16/2025 at 1:42 AM, CalidrisAlba said:

I had the same problem with the Pelikan Pura, the metal section is so slippery that it hurts my hand after a few seconds of writing. I used racquet tape and that does help but needs to be replaced every few days and looks ugly. I’ve pretty much given up on the Pura, which is a bit of a shame because it’s a good looking pen and has a nice weight and writes quite nicely too. But having to use tape was just too much of a faff. I might try to rough up the grip section a little bit. 

Do you have the same issue with all shiny metal sections, or is this one worse? Brushed/textured aluminium can be great, but I've pretty much universally hated every other metal section I've ever held. I'm always surprised they're not more unpopular!

[Azulado]

10 hours ago, RJS said:

but I've pretty much universally hated every other metal section I've ever held. I'm always surprised they're not more unpopular!

My ideal section is the plastic one, however some metal ones are equally comfortable. Such is the example of the Kaweco Student. Without going into considerations such as whether your hand sweats more or less, I think one factor to take into account is the shape. The concave wall cylinder (cilindro de paredes cóncavas  in the blog post linked below), as is the case with the Kaweco Student, is a solution for metal sections.

 

http://elpajareteorquidiado.blogspot.com/2018/01/geometria-basica-de-la-boquilla.html

 

I have other fountain pens with the metal section that I find unpleasant , not because of sweat or that they are slippery, but because I find them hard or uncomfortable (I find it difficult to find the ideal position for my fingers). This is the case of the Hongdian 1843 or the Pelikan Jazz. The 1843 has a truncated cone section, but the Jazz is a cylinder with concave walls, just like the Student. I don't know what could make them feel so different, maybe the Jazz is very thin and short. Kaweco has done an excellent job with the Student, one of my favorites.

[Sailor Kenshin]

On 1/15/2025 at 7:42 PM, CalidrisAlba said:

I had the same problem with the Pelikan Pura, the metal section is so slippery that it hurts my hand after a few seconds of writing. I used racquet tape and that does help but needs to be replaced every few days and looks ugly. I’ve pretty much given up on the Pura, which is a bit of a shame because it’s a good looking pen and has a nice weight and writes quite nicely too. But having to use tape was just too much of a faff. I might try to rough up the grip section a little bit. 

Had one.  Returned it, for same reasons plus.  The section dug into my thumb, as well.

[RJS]

On 2/1/2025 at 12:59 PM, Azulado said:

My ideal section is the plastic one, however some metal ones are equally comfortable. Such is the example of the Kaweco Student. Without going into considerations such as whether your hand sweats more or less, I think one factor to take into account is the shape. The concave wall cylinder (cilindro de paredes cóncavas  in the blog post linked below), as is the case with the Kaweco Student, is a solution for metal sections.

 

http://elpajareteorquidiado.blogspot.com/2018/01/geometria-basica-de-la-boquilla.html

 

I have other fountain pens with the metal section that I find unpleasant , not because of sweat or that they are slippery, but because I find them hard or uncomfortable (I find it difficult to find the ideal position for my fingers). This is the case of the Hongdian 1843 or the Pelikan Jazz. The 1843 has a truncated cone section, but the Jazz is a cylinder with concave walls, just like the Student. I don't know what could make them feel so different, maybe the Jazz is very thin and short. Kaweco has done an excellent job with the Student, one of my favorites.

A concave section, that is concave at the point one wishes to hold it, is good. It's tiny for my large hands, but I really like the grip on the aluminium Kaweco Sport with 'aged' blue paint. Anything slanting towards the nib I typically avoid, even if it's made from plastic. Chrome sections are the worst, especially if sloping or curving towards the nib.

 

Regarding the slippery nature of these sections in relation to hands- my hands tend towards being dry, often too dry, which doesn't suit chrome sections. Dare I add lotion to my hands then they're impossible.